Health IT mandates are a key driver in the continuing trend of hospitals acquiring physician practices, Healthcare Technology Online's Ken Congdon writes this week. "The push toward [electronic health record] adoption in this short time window," Congdon says, "has placed significant financial and administrative strain on several private practices." But most doctors, he adds, would rather focus on caring for their patients. "As a result, many physician practices are opting to become affiliated with neighboring hospitals or health systems that already have much of this technology infrastructure in place," he says. Congdon predicts that as more practices are acquired, the market for EHR software platforms will shrink, since most are aimed at independent practices. Commentary